Top Ten Worst Horror Movie Remakes

University of York Graduate, aspiring to be a journalist with dreams of one day publishing my own novel.
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Published October 22nd 2012

Hollywood doesn't always get it right

Movie remakes are always risky. Modern technology and the magic of Hollywood would incline one to think that they can only ever bring out a bigger and better re-hash of the original, but, if we're to go off these ten horror remakes, the proof is in the statistics – or in this case, IMDB ratings.

10) The Amityville Horror

IMDB rating: 1979: 6.02005: 5.8

Kicking off in a respectable 10th place, Andrew Douglas' 2005 remake of this spooky haunted house flick dropped by a paltry 2% in viewer ratings. Ryan Reynolds' sculpted torso may have prevented a bigger drop, but it's hardly an achievement given it was only ever 6/10 in the first place.

9) Dawn of the Dead

IMDB rating: 1978: 8.02004: 7.4

The original not only inspired ketchup-blood-based hilarity, but also cleaned up with a hefty 8/10 IMDB rating. 2004's boasts a pretty impressive 74% for all its remake status, but while improvements in the make-up department may have maintained a relatively high score, the lack of Heinz ultimately led to a disappointing 6% decrease.

8) 13 Ghosts/ Thir13en Ghosts

IMDB rating: 1960: 6.02001: 5.3

51 years on and Steve Beck thought it would be a good idea to be down with the kids, adopting a strange spelling and recruiting Shannon Elizabeth, fresh from her topless scene in 1999's American Pie. Too bad it was such a poorly-acted borefest, but then, the black and white original wasn't much better.

Not a lot changed for Jason and his hockey mask in 29 years; the same formula of young adults misbehaving in seemingly safe surroundings still resulted in bloody horror 3 decades on. Perhaps more scary was Mrs Voorhees, whose frightening appearance accounted for the 9% higher rating in 1980 than 2009's offerings.

6) Night of the Living Dead

IMDB rating: 1968: 8.0
1990: 6.7

A predecessor to Romero's 1978 Dawn of the Dead, the original was actually written as a comedy – sadly, however, the 1990 version was made with no such intent, but simply ended up becoming a parody of itself. Let's skim over the embarrassing 2006 3D version...

It would appear scary children just aren't that scary these days. Trying too hard to match the original was probably 2006's biggest failing, but there was just something about the modern version which took away the fear factor – probably the much less creepy child.

Fresh-faced Johnny Depp may have been part of the appeal of Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street, but truly, 2010's version highlighted the real issue – nobody but Robert Englund could play the infamous Freddie Krueger. Not to mention the fact that it was simply just too Hollywood.

2) The Haunting

IMDB rating: 1963: 7.7
1999: 4.7

Robert Wise's genuinely eerie scenes and creepy characters earned 1963's The Haunting a respectable 7.7 rating. The colour remake of 1999 unfortunately proved a real stinker, and Owen Wilson losing a head to a giant swinging pendulum turned out to be pretty hilarious rather than scary.

1) The Wickerman

IMDB rating: 1973: 7.7
2006: 3.6

What a turkey! 1973's The Wickerman had everything: creepy cults, scary religious themes, even a fair bit of eroticism – but nothing could beat the unforgettable class that Edward Woodward brought to the role. Nicholas Cage's screams simply couldn't match Woodward's chilling recital of The Lord Is My Shepherd, presumably hence the massive 41% drop in ratings.

Here are just a few films to fall victim to a Hollywood butchering - what are you favourite best or worst remakes?